1971: A Forgotten Story

Trojan Horse,

You aren`t upset, are you?

(1)

``HERE IS THE REASON WHY I DONT RESPOND

You ignorent ,imbecile ,moron could not understand what ``TROJAN`` means????``

Hee,Hee...and so you changed ``Colt`` to ``Horse``!!! (This could de-stable-ize you, mind it!)

(2)

``So whats the use talking to wall..deaf ear....incomprehending fool.

First go resd Helen Of Troy saga & then try to guess.``

Boy! I would love to resd this Helen all day...if I knew how?!

best regards,

Ref Trojan-Horse`s-A$$ #: 74

[You ignorent ,imbecile ,moron could not understand what ``TROJAN`` means????

So whats the use talking to wall..deaf ear....incomprehending fool.]

Yeah, I checked it out at the drug store. It is a condom.

Kiran (#56):

Let me thank you for reacting ‘humanly’ to this piece.

Now, for your comments regarding the rest and me…there are a few people with me right now who want to hug you :) You are spot on, though agreeing with you might reveal a degree of arrogance that is not intended. And although in my mailbox I do get some such letters, it is sweet of you to have brought it out in the open.

Let me explain. (Here I go again!) I have felt the need to respond because:

1.Some interactors spend a lot of effort in their posts and I believed that even if they did not agree with me, they had a stand that required a reply.

2.I thought it was a learning process for me, a sort of give-and-take; I did not imagine there would be people who would get cheap thrills out of verbal jousting, considering I have never overstepped in my interactions or made nasty personal comments.

3.I guess upbringing has a part to play. I had been taught that salaam ka jawaab dena chahiye; I thought this was an extension of people ‘connecting’. Yes, I have been stupid.

Believe me, your two cents are worth a lot. Enjoy your vacation.

-----

t (#48):

It is a gift indeed….thanks for visiting this Board. Lla si yako. Stol gnineppah. Samajh gaye, na?

psb,

F

I do appreciate the comments made by Mona, Zafar, Subroto, dost-mittarji, ali1.

I will encapsulate your concerns in one response.

The reason I brought in Dawood’s name here is to show just how apathetic we are. We are concerned about a few terrorists, but not about those who we expect must fight them.

Why did I bring this up now? As I have already stated, this is not a new story for me; it is a follow-up. However, when I saw this topic being raised at the Agra Summit as part of an important Indo-Pak dialogue, I thought there was hope. However, the two countries again got trapped in their holes. The Saarc Summit is about ALL the nations that comprise it and terrorism in not the only subject on their agenda. The US is not a part of this Summit and since India and Bangladesh can talk about trade links despite the Hindus escaping from that country, I see no reason why we cannot raise an important issue at such a time.



And it is at such a time that people are unashamedly talking about war where we will lose soldiers and more families will suffer. But I can lay a bet that were someone to write about that someday, s/he would be accused of misplaced and false sympathy. What a pathetic world we live in.

My question remains, “The country stands silent. Not one political party has included

the return of our POWs in its manifesto. Why?” Isn’t it therefore strange that my motives for raising the issue are questioned? This is the government’s job and I, among countless others, would like to facilitate it. In the euphoric state after I read urstruly’s post, I even went along with the ‘million signatures’ campaign idea. But the families have made an attempt; nothing happened. Besides, how can citizens approach the head of state of another country when your own government is sleeping?

I have said that in my small way I would do what is possible for the Pak side as well. However, a call to the Defence Ministry is a tad simplistic. I wouldn’t ask any Pakistani to do so. I repeat that those who fought the 1971 war were not mercenaries. People join the Army and are expected to go to battle when they are called. I don’t think they have a choice here about saying, “I smoked but did not inhale” and its military equivalent. Soldiers in our country, and I assume some others, cannot refuse to join because they do not ethically believe in the war. If you ask me, no peace-loving person believes in a war. Except drawing room couch potatoes who want a change from the soap operas. However, if I make any headway on my side, you can rest assured that the Pakistani side of the story will be voiced too.

Regarding the statement, “Hindus won`t let you and other Indian Muslims forget your ‘auqaat’,” I will not indulge in generalizations. Suffice to say that I derive my auquaat from what I believe in and feel about. It would be silly to assume that I can sustain, much less acquire, an identity from those who are desperately trying to murder their own.

“Yeh insaaN ke dushman…samaajoN ki duniya…

yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye tau kya ho?”

DRUMZ: Thought you might like a translation of the last line I quoted from the lyrics of a beautiful Hindi film song: “The enemies of humanity, the society of set norms…what would I do anyway with a world such as this?”

Farzana

ali1#66

Hindus won`t let you and other Indian Muslims forget your ``auqaat``; so I hope you wont get carried away by the secular republic/Sharrukh Khan/Azeem Premji bullcrap.

## Mullah Ali-jee, don`t worry yourself sick over Farzana`s haal. Worry instead about your own miserable lot back in Pakistan. The way you talk, you`d think Pakistanis live their lives in complete freedom, lack of fear and prosperity. While I can`t say that of 90% of India`s population, I can for sure tell you that Farzana for one is safe with us. Don`t try to woo her across to your side of the border because your Muslim-Muslim bhai-behen sh1t won`t work here. Farzana is smart enough to realise which side her bread is buttered, though she may not always agree with the people who hold the butterknife. Fair enough. But Ali-jee, please don`t make the mistake of equating her with a scared, harassed, teased-and-taunted scarred-for-life victim because I assure you that she`s not!

SM

PS:Farzana,

Pardon the presumptiousness, feel free to contradict/ add/ subrtact whatever.

FV,

Amazed such issues do not get more coverage. Thanks for the eye-opener.

30 years in prison in a foreign country is a bit too hard even to imagine. I can only theorise that the Indian governemnt and military establishment has a lot to hide from its citizens. Otherwise there`s no humane rationale to support apathy of this magnitude.

I also fail to understand what good Pakistan achieves by keeping people in jail for 30 years. Or is it just wishful thinking on our part? Chances are: our war heroes have been tortured to the point of no return a long time ago. Is it just hope that the relatives are clinging to?

SM

Array Trojan-Revolver,

Where are you my friend ? What happened...no reply, no witty repartee ?

Ran out of bullets maybe ? Rotate your cylinder (while holding the butt steady) and check.

For keeping the butt shiny and smooth...as always, call Ali1.

best regards,

Now, if only Temporal would write a complementary article:

1998, Kargil - The Collective Amnesia.

Can we get our soldiers` bodies please?

.......

Does not the appeal, “Join the army” sound like a slap to the parents, since their sons were sent to certain death ...in civilian clothes...their carcasses thrown into makeshift ditches...and there they lie...their very mention forbidden.

Did they exist?



Does any pakistani here have the one-ounce of $hit to write this article?

Nope, nary a one.

What allround advice and tongue-clicking though!

Reply Ali1 #66

Farzana # 31

[``PS: This business about proving my nationalistic credentials to my Hindu compatriots was quite unnecessary``]

Nahi ji. Read below:

Reply # 32 anarayan

[``But knowing Farzana through her articles.... She is the TNT child who got left behind.``]

Hindus won`t let you and other Indian Muslims forget your ``auqaat``; so I hope you wont get carried away by the secular republic/Sharrukh Khan/Azeem Premji bullcrap.

[``Today is my lucky day. Tell me what I can do. I will. In my small way.``]

I gave you a list of PAF officers missing since `71. These were honorable men in uniform, unlike the Indians that you are fussing over who were caught fighting as merceneries with the Mukti Bahini terrorists. Maybe a call to Indian Ministry of Defence would be a good start?

Farzana # 31

[``PS: This business about proving my nationalistic credentials to my Hindu compatriots was quite unnecessary``]

Nahi ji. Read below:

Reply # 32 anarayan

[``But knowing Farzana through her articles.... She is the TNT child who got left behind.``]

Hindus won`t let you and other Indian Muslims forget your ``auqaat``; so I hope you wont get carried away by the secular republic/Sharrukh Khan/Azeem Premji bullcrap.

[``Today is my lucky day. Tell me what I can do. I will. In my small way.``]

I gave you a list of PAF officers missing since `71. These were honorable men in uniform, unlike the Indians that you are fussing over who were caught fighting as merceneries with the Mukti Bahini terrorists. Maybe a call to Indian Ministry of Defence would be a good start?

dost-mittar,

``However, please don`t mix this issue with the Dawood case. That case, too, is important because it deals with criminal justice. And in his case, Pakistan has been virtually caught with its hands in the ``cooky jar``.

Dost-ji, aapkay chashmay ka number hamaray chashmay say milta-julta hoga!

regards,

Ah, Sir-T appears...on his trusty steed tragic-colt!

A crptic scribble and he`s gone...chowk readers stare in awe...what coolness...the king of cool!

Here`s the translation of his scribble:

``Keep up good work. Dawood Bhai happy you project correct light on his case. Nice comparison...Bhai and POWs...laughed whole wkend. Check bank next week for small gift. Hosts in karachi happy. Excellent dig at bagpipe and BJP at mid-article. Excellent in-depth coverage of what happens to captured hindians...should dampen war-drum-beating a mite we expect. Plagiarized article content...our secret...hee hee``.

soysauce #58 ``soldiers are cheap...See how many soldiers died unloading & laying landmines in the last week? It merited no questions, no inquiries and certainly no screaming front-page headlines. `` You could add the thousands of families on both sides of the border who have had to leave their villages for fear of war.

The real victims in the sub-continent are not Kashmiris, not Muslims, not Hindus, not Sikhs, (as some people on chowk like to say, depending on the community they were born in) but the POOR. And the real rascals are those who detract from the poor by ranting about the poor Kashmiris, or the poor refugees of 1947, and so on. Some of these rascals you will find on chowk too, but none of the poor (who do not have access to the internet).

Anaryan: Its always best to divorce what is said from who iz saying it... Ive suspended self from that religion nonsense for a few months...

And the wordz were intended to explode on contact.

Razor-sharp investigation and research Farzana. This is what journalists are made of, one of your best pieces!

Your straight-forward reporting and emotional inquiries gave the document a very ``complete`` feeling. You had me praying for the families, as soon as I finished reading.

I`ve been meaning to say this for a long time, so let me take the opportunity, before I leave on my upcoming vacation:

Don`t explain yourself to every tom, dick and harry who likes to bust your chops just for the heck of it. You are a Muslim, a loyal Indian, an intelligent woman and a thinking individual, the composition is too much for too many. I think it`s wonderful that you interact with everyone on a personal level, but guess what? Not everyone deserves it.

You my dear, are far too busy for bozos who have no life and get entertainment out of bugging minds intellectually superior to them. There are only a few reasons in my opinion, why they do this:

a) You Always answer them.

b) They are simply jealous, for not being articulate and popular enough to voice their views.

c) Most are men, who are pictures of the above-mentioned reason, i.e jealous, but are also intimidated by a woman who can speak her mind with such conviction. They can`t handle it.

So dear sistuh, don`t humor them all, they certainly ain`t worth your time. :) Just my 2 cents.

Regards,

Kiran